Ammunition box holder



ZEQRUQ 7 April 25, 1950 G. H. COLLINS AMMUNITION BOX HOLDER 2Sheets-meet 1 Filed July 1, 1946 fflwmar Gears [1. CoZZins April 25,1950 G. H. COLLINS AMMUNITION BOX HOLDER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 1,1946 George}! CoZZzrzs f B ha Attor'm y #4 40 42&

Patented Apr. 25, 1950 AMMUNITION BOX HOLDER George H. Collins, Lynn,Mass, assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N. 3.,a corporation of New Jersey Application July 1, 1946, Serial No. 680,578

2 Claims.

This invention relates to ammunition box holders and is hereinillustrated as embodied in a holder adapted to support ammunition boxesfor automatic guns, more particularly the caliber .30 or caliber .50Browning machine gun.

It is an object of the invention to provide an ammunition box holder soconstructed as to permit easy and rapid attachment of an ammunition boxthereto and its removal therefrom.

Another object of the invention is to provide an ammunition box holderadapted to accommodate ammunition boxes of different heights and types.

A further object of the invention is to provide an ammunition box holderadapted to lock the ammunition box securely on the gun to prevent itsfalling off during the operation of the gun.

These and other objects and features of the invention will becomeapparent from the following description with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in front elevation of one form of ammunition box holderembodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view on the line II-II of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view on the line III-III of Fig. 1,indicating a metal ammunition box secured to the holder;

Fig. 4 is a view in front elevation of a modified form of ammunition boxholder;

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view on the line V--V of Fig. 4,indicating the metal ammunition box secured to the holder shown in Fig.4;

Fig. 6 is a view substantially similar to Fig. 5, but indicating anammunition box of a diiferent type secured to the same holder; and

Fig. 7 is a horizontal sectional view along the line Vl1-VII of Fig. 4.

In one embodiment of the invention, illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, theammunition box holder is adapted to support a sheet metal ammunition boxB, indicated by broken lines in Fig. 3, from which ammunition is to besupplied to the feed channel of a gun G, such as a caliber .30 orcaliber .50 Browning machine gun, mounted on a gun support comprising acradle C.

A mounting bracket I0 is rigidly secured, as by welding, to the gunsupporting cradle 0 adjacent to the ammunition feed channel in thebreech end of the gun. The bracket has a pair of forwardly and inwardlyprojecting vertical ribs l2 forming ways within which is mounted a plateM. The lower end of the plate [4 terminates in a U-shaped flange [6adapted to engage a flange ii at the lower end of the wall of theammunition box facing the gun, as shown in Fig. 3. The plate It isprovided with a pair of rearwardly projecting ears it which engage thelower end of the bracket It to prevent upward movement of the platerelative to the bracket.

The plate [4 is further provided with a pair of inwardly turned verticalribs 20 forming ways in which is mounted a latch member 22 provided atits upper end with a hooked portion 26, which is arranged to engage ahinge 26 on the wall of the ammunition box facing the gun and tocooperate with the U-shaped flange [6 of the plate It to lock the box inoperative position. The latch member 22 is movable heightwise relativelyto the plate It against the tension of springs 28 anchored at theirlower ends to lugs 36 extending forward from the plate It and, at theirupper ends, to a lug 32 projecting forward from the latch member througha rectangular opening 34' in the latch member. Downward movement of thelatch member 22 relative to the plate It is limited by its engagementwith a tongue 36 projecting forward from the bracket l0 through anopening 38 in the plate H.

To attach an ammunition box B to the holder just described, the hinge 26on the box is placed under the hooked portion 2 of the latch member 22and the box is pushed upward until its flange ll engages the U-shapedflange [5 at the lower end of the plate 14. As the box is being pushedupward the latch member 22 is moved upward relatively to the plate idagainst the tension of the springs 28, which are of such strength thatthe box will be rigidly clamped in operative position when the flange llof the box and the flange B6 of the plate Hi are interlocked.

By reason of the spring connection between the latch-member 22 and theplate M, the latch member is self-adjusting to accommodate ammunitionboxes of various heights.

To remove the ammunition box 13 from the holder, the box is pushed upuntil its flange I! is disengaged from the flange it of the plate 14,whereupon the box is tilted to free its hinge from the hooked portion 24of the latch member 22. Upon removal of the box the latch member 22 isreturned to its initial position by the springs 28.

Figs. 4 to 7 illustrate a modified form of ammunition box holder adaptedto support either metal or wooden boxes for caliber .30 or caliber .50ammunition.

This holder comprises a plate 49 having a pair of rearwardly extendingvertical ribs il, which fit in guideways formed in a mounting bracket 342 secured to the gun cradle C adjacent to the feed channel in thebreech end of the gun. The bracket 42 is provided with forwardly andinwardly extending vertical ribs 43. The lower end or" the plate 40terminates in a U-shaped flange G4 which is arranged to be engaged bythe flange ll on the lower end of the rear wall of the metal ammunitionbox B, i. e., the wall facing the gun, as illustrated in Fig. 5. In thespaces between the ribs 4! and the walls of the guideways in the lmounting bracket 42 are inserted metal strips 45, the upper ends ofwhich are bent outward over the upper ends of the mounting bracket andthe lower ends of which are bent inward over the lower ends of the ribs4! to lock the plate 40 against downward movement relative to themounting bracket.

Also mounted in the bracket 42 is a latch slide QB which is movableheightwise relatively to the plate 40 during attachment and removal of ametal ammunition box. Downward movement of the latch slide 48 relativeto the plate 48 is limited by engagement of the slide with a forwardlprojecting tongue 48 on the plate 41}. The tongue 48 abuts against aprojection 53 on the lower end of the mounting bracket 42 and preventsupward movement of the plate 40 relative to the bracket.

The latch slide 46 has lugs 52 extending rearward through an opening inthe plate 4%. The lugs 52 provide bearings for a rockshaft 54 extendinglengthwise of the gun. Rigidly mounted on the shaft 54 is a latch member55 having at its upper end two hooked portions 58 arranged to engage thehinge 26 on the box B, as shown in Fig. 5, and to cooperate with theflange 4 of the plate 49 to lock the box in its operative position. Thehooked portions 58 of the latch member extend forward through openings60 in the slide 46 and through an opening 62 in the bracket 42. Thelatch member '56 is yieldingly connected to the plate 46 by springs 64secured at their lower ends to lugs 66 extending rearward from the lowerend portion of the plate 40 and, at their upper ends, to a cotter pin 68anchored tothe latch member 56.

To attach the metal box B to the holder just described, the box ispresented with its hinge 26 under the hookedportions 58 of the latchmember and pushed upward; As the' box is pushed upward, the latch member56 and the slide 46 are moved upward, against the tension of the springs64, until the flange ii at the lower end of the box engages the U-shapedflange 44 at the lower end of the plate 40, whereupon the box is clampedin operative position, as shown in Fig. 5. The box is removed from theholder in the manner described previously in connection with the holderillustrated in Figs. 1 to 3.

The manner of attaching a wooden ammunition box, such as the box Billustrated in Fig. 6, is somewhat different from that previouslydescribed in connection with the metal box. The wooden ammunition boxhas no flange such as the flange ll of the metal box but, instead, isprovided with vertical grooves '10 (Fig. 6) in its side walls, and thelower portion of the rear wall facing the gun is cut at an angle andrecessed to provide a ledge '12. To attach the wooden box to the holder,the ribs 43 of the mounting bracket are caused to engage in the grooves10 of the box and the box is moved downward until the ledge 12 seatsagainst the projection 50 on the bracket. During the downward movementof the box, the engagement of its rear wall with the hooked portions 58of the latch member 58 causes the latch member to swing inward. Theabove procedure is reversed to remove the box and, as the box is freedfrom the holder, the latch member 56 swings back to its initialposition.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An ammunition box holder comprising a bracket, a plate mounted insaid bracket and having a box-engaging portion adapted to engage thelower end of a box of one type, yielding latching means mounted forheightwise movement relative to said plate and also for swingingmovement about a horizontal axis, said latching means havingbox-engaging portions adapted to engage the upper end of said box and tocooperate with the box-engaging portion of said plate to clamp the boxin operative position, means on said bracket adapted to support a box ofa differ-. ent type, and spring means connecting said plate and saidlatching means and against the tension of which said latching meansefiects its heightwise and swinging movements, whereby the latchingmeans is rendered self-adjusting to accommodate boxes of difierentheights and types.

2. An ammunition box holder comprising a bracket, a plate mounted insaid bracket and having a box-engaging portion adapted to engage thelower end of a box of one type, yielding and self-adjusting latchingmeans having boxengaging portions adapted to engage the upper end ofsaid box, ribs on said bracket adapted to engage grooves in a box of adifferent type, and a projection on said bracket adapted to engage aledge on said last named box to support the box in operative position,said latching means comprising a slide movable heightwise relatively tosaid plate, a shaft carried by said slide, a latch member rigidlymounted on said shaft, and spring means connecting said latch member tosaid slide, whereby said latch member is adapted to move with said slidevariable amounts heightwise relatively to said plate and to swingrelatively to said slide against the tension of said spring means, toaccommodate ammunition boxes of different heights and types.

GEORGE H. COLLINS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,049,974 Bailie Jan. 7, 191?,1,701,153 Green Feb. 5, 1929 1,701,419 Peden Feb. 5, 1929v 1,884,370Swanson Oct. 25, 1932 1,890,639 Coupland Dec. 13, 1932 2,346,845Ironside Apr. 18, 1944

